Comparing Apples to Apples - Hydrated Weight Vs Dehydrated Weight - Home-Dried Vs Store-Bought
By Sonia D. Poehlein In the interest of scientific research into what happens with apples when they are dehydrated, I conducted an experiment. Actually, it was sheer curiosity that prompted the study--the apples needed drying anyway. To proceed: 4 apples were cored and weighed before dehydration. Weights ranged from 7 ounces to 7.5 ounces. The apple slices were soaked for about 5-10 minutes in a mixture of lemon juice and water. This pretreatment helped to maintain texture and nutrients, and to prevent oxidation (the discoloration that occurs during the drying process). Four dehydrator trays were used, with one apple per tray. This ensured a more accurate post-dehydrating apple weight. The trays were placed in the dehydrator according to the order in which the apples were weighed. Tray 1: 7.25 ounces Tray 2: 7.50 ounces Tray 3: 7.00 ounces Tray 4: 7.50 ounces The apples were dried at a temperature of 135 degrees for approximately 13